Texas Gov. Rick Perry is in Washington, D.C., for the Conservative Political Action Conference, the annual meeting of the American Conservative Union. Perry took the stage on March 14 to rev up the crowd and impart his particular brand of political wisdom.
The conference runs through Saturday and will also feature the stylings of Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin, Jeb Bush, Rand Paul and, just for good measure, Donald Trump. No word yet on whether The Donald will use this platform to bash Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, but I'd say its a strong possibility given his recent tweet history.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves. I submit for your approval the most interesting quotes from Perry's CPAC speech, in which he entered and exited to the sound of "God Bless Texas."
On the Lone Star State:
I come from what a lot of people might seem to think is a foreign country. We have a balanced budget. We have a surplus. We are creating more jobs than any other state in the union, and we are doing this with a part-time legislature.
Role of government:
My quarrel is not with the legitimate role of government but with the unlimited role of government.
There's nothing free that comes from Washington.
Medicaid:
We care about our poorest Texans. We want them to have the best care possible and that cannot happen with a program that is on its way to bankruptcy.
Energy:
It is time to drill for American energy to create American jobs and American prosperity.
America's political climate:
The popular media narrative is that this country has shifted away from conservative ideals, as evidenced by the last two presidential elections. ... That might be true if Republicans had actually nominated conservative candidates in 2008 and 2012.
Immigration:
No one who risks life and limb to reach our shores comes here hoping for a government handout.
Foreign policy:
We will never bend to the social and economic agenda of Western Europe. Yes, it is an interesting place to vacation, but it's a sorry example of governments.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington D.C. on March 14.
